"Greetings all and thanks for attending today."

"As you will all now be aware, Ella Jacobson and Hahana Tuatini have been returned to New Zealand by the government of North Korea. This is an incredibly wonderful outcome of the events of the past few weeks. When I became Prime Minister not a few weeks, I swore to make it one of my key goals to bring these two citizens of our country back alive. This goal has been achieved. I am incredibly pleased that the diplomatic efforts of this government have led to such a positive outcome for all involved. I have met with the families of the two girls, and the girls themselves, and they are shaken but otherwise should make a full recovery.

"I would like to thank the Foreign Affairs ministers, /u/Youmaton and /u/Mattsthetic, for their important diplomatic work in securing the safe release of our two citizens. In particular, /u/Youmaton worked tirelessly these last few weeks to arrange diplomatic summits and channels of communication between us and other world leaders, and was the key architect behind the peace deal we eventually worked out between North Korea and the United Nations. /u/Youmaton has been an incredible blessing during this time and I am extremely happy with how they co-ordinated New Zealand's diplomatic efforts. Without /u/Youmaton, the fate of our two citizens would be much more murky than it is now.

"I would finally like to address some potential criticisms of how my government managed things during this difficult time. When I became Prime Minister, I swore that my government would use all diplomatic efforts to bring our people back safe and not to cause any escalation of violence on the Korean peninsula. However, this approach may be seen by some as being friendly to, or "humanising", leaders who do not conduct themselves or control their country in ways which are acceptable to those of us living in a country like New Zealand. And that is a fair criticism. To this I say, there were the lives of innocent New Zealand citizens at stake here. The safety and happiness of our citizens is of paramount importance to my government, and that is certainly worth a few fleeting moments of embarrassment from some problematic foreign leaders.

"Some others may criticise us reducing the UN-mandated sanctions on North Korea, implemented due to their nuclear and missile tests and general aggravation towards other countries. To that I respond, the exact sanctions have not been in place long and do not significantly change the situation with North Korea. In addition, North Korea have agreed to stop nuclear tests, so the sanctions can easily be re-implemented should they break that side of the deal. This government has kept in mind at all times the necessity to ensure peace and to uphold the key role the United Nations plays in our world, and I believe our diplomatic efforts reflect that.

"The safe return of Ms Jacobson and Ms Tuatini is a brilliant outcome for New Zealand in this event, and I am extremely pleased to be able to stand before you today to say that. We brought them home."